Why a new phone?

Now that is a good question. One I can't really answer with a better argument than "I want one. Waaa! So, is that a good enough reason? Well no, of course not. But what if the phone was free? well then, go for it, go ahead. What if it was about $50? Well, worth a debate. But the one I have identified as The One, the Eternity, a phone that is the last one I will ever want for all eternity, I guess, costs $150! That is too much! So now the decision is, delay, or find a replacement I like better than my Razr, or just forget the whole thing.

Free Phones:


Sony Ericsson 580, a slider. Noted as a good camera, but too many reports of the keys becoming non-functional (breaking). And it has lights that flash many different colors as a feature. OK, thats enough of that- strike this one off the list.






LG Shine, obviously a slider. It has a nice touchpad, like my current Razr. Talk time rating not so good. But all the rest of the functions are right on. Worth pursuing. Good 2mp camera with flash. Kinda bad browser. Not strong reviews. Take a pass.





Samsung A737, a slider, one that Matt has had for a couple of years and really likes. Noted for durability. Pretty plain, the lowest tech of this set. Forget it.






Sony Ericsson 750. Camera is only 2mp, has a great (bigger than my current one), screen. It claims to have a great battery capacity. But is the clamshell "form factor" one I am sick and tired of? And the stupid Sony memory chip- Aaarrrghh! $10. Almost free isn't it? Good browser, landscape mode. Good speakerphone. A real contenda.


Phones that cost money:


The Sony-Ericsson 760. Highly thought of in review, it costs more than it should, really, but has a great camera, 3mp that takes better photos than some 5mps. But the cost! Way too much for this phone. Oh, and the Sony proprietary memory chip makes me mad! $129- forget it!




Nokia 6650. I had a nokia once, it was a tank, it worked well, I liked it. This one has all the specs I need. But another 2mp camera, with a flash, so I can capture Paris Hilton if I see her when I'm clubbing. Worth a second look. It does have a screen as large as the sliders, and the typical clamshell benefit of really big key pad. This may be a smartphone using the Symbian operating system. $69 make it one to consider.




The Moto M9, has some nice features upgraded from my current Razr, including being a slider and having Opera 8 for a web browser, but seriously, a 2mp camera? It is supposed to be excellent. $99 makes this one too close to the Eternity price, and therefore one that I would have to think of as a phone to wait for, and simply bypass for something better.





The Eternity, most pretentiously named product in all of the history the galaxy? Or just right for our amazingly, incredibly, super-ultra hyperbolic society? It has a big screen, needs to to work as a touch screen. But more apt to suffer scratches. It does everything I want, but the camera is just good. The web browser is the same as for other phones, but due to the touch screen it is easy to navigate. But don't you need 2 hands to work it? I think so. $149 means it is something to consider for sometime later, maybe. It is expensive.

So in conclusion...
...it seems the form factor is still the key question. Clamshells seem to give more for the price. So start with that decision. It is good for protecting the screen when using a phone like I do, in a pocket. I am down to three choices:

1. Keep my Razr
2. Sony Ericsson 750, $10
3. Nokia 6650, $69

Live trials are the next step...